The topic of diet & nutrition is a hotly debated one. Everyone has their own preferences, particulars, and persistence surrounding what they eat and why. At Waite Endurance we like to focus on the very basics: simple, easy, repeatable meals that feed our bodies for health & fuel our bodies for performance.

Our motto is to consume mostly plants, drink lots of water, avoid packaged food, exclude nothing (unless you have an allergy), and eat until you’re satisfied, not full.

You can read our general Diet & Nutrition philosophy to get our basic thoughts on how we like to do it.

Having been a professional endurance athlete, and having spent A LOT of time around professional cyclists & triathletes, I can tell you without a doubt, professional endurance athletes take their diets very seriously. An effective diet is as important (or possibly more so!) as any training plan or interval session or long ride. Feeding your body the healthy nutrients it needs to remain strong and avoid illness is critical to maintaining training consistency. Fueling your body to be able to perform at its highest level day-to-day and week to week leads to positive progressions in fitness. And finally, eating correctly for you (and your activity) allows your body to achieve its ideal body composition and mass for peak performances.

Along with first pursuing professional cycling and then triathlon, I’ve been fortunate over the last 20 years of my life to surround myself with food on different levels. I studied nutrition (briefly) in school before deciding a career in dietetics was not for me. I attending culinary school and managed a coffee shop & catering business before deciding the ‘food industry’ was not for me, before confirming my passion in the endurance sport coaching profession in 2005.

What I’d like to do with the BLOG post series is share many of the great meal and snack options I’ve learned over the years and how you too can…

WIN THROUGH FOOD (WTF)

The following recipe is a staple pre-ride breakfast in the Waite Endurance household. It’s made entirely of plants, minimally processed, contains basic ingredients easy to have on hand, and simple to prepare. It boasts a load of complex carbohydrates, it’s full of fiber (our favorite macro-nutrient!), and contains a good dose of healthy fats and micronutrients.

OATMEAL + … Fruits, Seeds & Nuts

Here’s what’s in it…

1/2 cup-ish, Regular ‘ol Old Fashioned Oats. Now you can get fancy with Steel Cut, multi-grain, organic, ancient whatever…but we prefer to keep things simple, affordable, and obtainable. Old fashioned is our ‘go-to’!

1 oz. or 2 Tablespoons of Ground Flax Seed (aka. Flax Meal). Flax contains fat, fiber & protein. The little seeds don’t digest well, but when you pulverize them into a powder like consistency they digest wonderfully and you get all the benefits for your gut!

1/4 cup (or handful) of Walnuts Pieces. We buy bulk Walnut Pieces (rather than halves) as they are cheaper and more bite-sized. Walnuts have the ideal fat profile to balance our diet, add even more fiber, and provide a nice crunch to the otherwise soft texture of oatmeal.

Add milk of choice to achieve desired consistency and flavor. We use a variety of nut & seed milks that contain a little bit of sugar added to sweeten things just a tad. Need it sweeter?? Add a little honey or maple syrup. Just keep it minimal to avoid undesired insulin spikes.

OPTIONAL: when we want to spoil ourselves a little, we go GUCCI with some GOJI berries added to the mix to further increase the healthfulness through added fiber, portion and whatever other superfood powers these little red chewy bits add to the dish.

Here’s how we do it…

Pour/scoop the oats into a microwave safe bowl (large size to avoid overflow). Add about equal parts water. It should look like you have a little too much water.

Microwave for 5-6 minutes at 60% power… this will help avoid overflow and slow the cooking just enough to allow good water absorption of the oats. Oats will continue to thicken as they cool.

While the oats cook… get your “mise en place” (that’s French for “shit together”). Get your fruit, nuts, seeds all ready to go on a small plate.

Simple, quick, delicious. This 600-ish calorie breakfast will fuel you for your upcoming training session or prepare you for a busy morning of meetings and errands. Feel free to mix it up and add variety through different nuts & fruits that fit your taste buds. Apples & cinnamon are a classic combo, season berries, bananas & peanut butter, are all great options as well. Stock the pantry and you should be good to go.

Bon Appétit (that’s French for time to chow down!)

Written by Cody Waite, professional endurance athlete, endurance sport coach, and founder of Sessions:6 Sport Performance. Looking for help with your endurance sport training? Check out his Stock Training Plans, Custom Training Plans, and Personal Coaching options created to fit your needs and budget.

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